How to Love Again
by SlytherinQuillandInk
Summary: Draco Malfoy was on the run from his demons, and it was only time before they caught up. He is to trapped to have time for friends, must less love. This is 10 ways in which Harry Potter taught Draco Malfoy how to love again. H/D


**10 ways in which Harry Potter taught Draco Malfoy how to love again**

Draco Malfoy felt wood dig into his back, his legs were starting to cramp, and his head was buried in between his legs. He couldn't risk raising his head, the demons would finally catch him, destroy him, and so he continued to rock back and forth with tears streaming down his face. He heard footsteps approach. His breathing grew strangled. The people he had hurt; they were finally here. Someone sat beside him, an arm pulled him close. He was being choked; he could feel it, the last breaths being pulled out of him. "It's okay, you'll be fine, come on look at me." Draco Malfoy raised his head… it was Harry Potter, "It's okay, it's okay, they won't hurt you, I promise." Harry pulled him in close, Draco's head buried in his shoulder, and Draco could breathe again.

Draco Malfoy was walking down the Ministry Hall. His robes falling around his body perfectly, not a wrinkle in the fine silk. They swished around his feet with every step of his leather shoes. One cannot judge a person by their appearance; Draco was the perfect example of this. His soul was as broken as his appearance with pristine. Suddenly, someone put their hand on his shoulder. He turned to find Harry Potter staring him in the eye. "I have heard many good things about you reporting. If you are looking for a good story, I would recommend doing an article on my therapist, Dr. Magloy. She is very discredit so she works with high profile clients, like me. She also specializes in PTSD. Here is her card." With this Harry turned away, leaving Draco with a glossy business card in his hand. He would not be writing an article on Dr. Magloy.

Draco was sitting in the receptionist area of Dr. Magloy's clinic. It was very comforting with bright, yet calm paintings decorating the walls and with airy, smooth music playing from the speakers. He was very familiar with the set up by now; he had been coming here three times a week for two weeks now. He had a favorite chair to sit in, while waiting for Dr. Magloy to finish up with her previous patient; it was soft yet not too soft, with arm rests in just the right places. He heard a movement to his right, and someone sat down next to him. It was Harry. "Sorry is anyone sitting here? Had to reschedule my appointment, well not really an appointment just had to pick up some medication. It's been a busy week. Anyway, are you going to the event Dr. Magloy arranged? It is going to be a hike, then a picnic, but not with the other clients. Everyone will have privacy charms around them. If we go together, we will be able to see each other, but no one else. Would you like to accompany me?" Draco shrugged and said sure. Harry smiled, and left the room… without his medication.

Harry and Draco meet outside Dr. Magloy's office, and then used a special floo network set up by Dr. Malgoy to do to the hiking path. There seemed to be no one around them. A quiet forest interrupted by only the rustle of leafs and birds singing. The path way curved and twisted its way around the forest, showing off the best of nature. They saw graceful deer, sunlit clearings, seas of flowers, and a raging river. They didn't talk the entire walk, in fact they didn't talk at all, but the silence was a comfortable one, not needing to be filled with mindless chatter, just the sounds of Mother Earth at her finest. Eventually, they reached the end of the path opening into a beautiful clearing with a blanket set in the middle, a woven picnic basket perched upon it. They sat on the blanket, and began to feast on the contents of the basket. They talked while eating, and continued to talk long after they were done. They talked about everything: the best places to eat, favorite colors, shops, their jobs, their friends, their nightmares, their treatment. By the end of the day (date), Draco had genuinely laughed 17 times, 17 more times than he had in the past two years.

Harry asked Draco if he wanted to get coffee. It had been a week since the picnic, and Draco simply couldn't shake the lightness he was feeling, as if he was constantly floating, not being anchored by his past. Draco of course said yes to this coffee date, and Harry said he would pick Draco up at 4:00 pm sharp outside the Daily Prophet Building. Draco waited until 4:01 to step outside of the building, and was relieved to see Harry already there waiting. "Come on, I will have to Apparate us." Draco hooked on to his arm, and didn't let go when they reached their destination. "There is this lovely muggle coffee shop just down the road. I was thinking we could go there." With that Harry led them down the street, pointing out shops and venders along the way. When they reached the shop, Harry opened the door for Draco. Draco thanked him, and then walked into the most gorgeous café he had ever seen. There were colorful stools and tables to sit at. Drapes and different type of art covered the walls. The shop smelled distinctly of coffee, freshly-brewed, delicious coffee. Harry walked up to the counter and began to order drinks, "I will have a latte with sugar, and Draco will have a black coffee with a splash of milk and no sugar." When the barista rang a bell signaling their coffee, Draco picked up he cup, exactly how he would have ordered it himself, and took a sip. It was the best cup coffee he had ever tasted.

After that, they went on dates more often. Sometimes they would go on casual lunch dates in muggle towns, other times they went to fancy dinners that would leave Draco panicking over his outfit for hours before hand. Once they went to a muggle movie that left Draco awestruck and begging Harry to take him to another. Another time, Draco took Harry to a very posh French restaurant that left both of them hungrier than when they came, so they went a muggle fast food restaurant called McDonalds right after. Today, they were walking down around a muggle town lined with small boutiques and shops. Suddenly, someone pushed Draco, tearing him away from Harry whose hand he had been very comfortably holding. "Ugh, all these faggots. It's disgusting really." Then the man shoved Draco again, "Someone should teach you a lesson, you guys are going to hell anyway." Draco was feeling the panic set in. People flashed through his mind, they faces set in expressions of agony , his wand who put them there. The demons coming closer, closer. They had finally come, they looked fiercer than ever before, they could not be ignored anymore, and they were really to take him. Draco closed his eyes, when Harry grabbed the man, and snarled, "Who the fuck do you think you are?" and punched the man in the face. The man fell to the ground, but quickly got up. However, Harry was faster, and punched the man in the stomach, then in the face, and again in the face, and again until the men was lying on the ground writhing in pain. Blood was streaming down his face and his nose was most surely broke, but Harry couldn't care less. Harry turned and gathered in Draco in his arms. "No one can touch my boyfriend," Harry whispered in his shoulder. Suddenly the demons disappeared and Draco felt like he was flying, and would never be able to come back down.

Draco was in his office. He was bent over a piece of parchment, frantically writing with his quill. His article was due is exactly 15 minutes, and he was only half way done. An article like this, a true investigation into corrupt businesses on Diagon Alley, took time and effort, but the editor didn't understand this, and wanted it today. Draco kept writing and didn't notice his office door open and quietly close. He didn't smell the delicious aromas in his office from his favorite sandwich place, nor did he notice the hand holding the bag. "Did I pick the wrong day to come?" Harry whispered, amused. Draco jumped out of his seat, before realizing it was just Harry. Laughing, Harry set down the take out bag and explained his visit. "I was very bored today, nothing was happening at the office, so I thought and realized that you were opposite of boring, so if I was bored, I should visit you. In fact, I decided to bring you lunch from your favorite sandwich place and waiting in a 30 minute line to do so. But it looks like you are busy today, are you busy?" Draco quickly shook his Harry and was rewarded a please smile from Harry. "Well, I guess, and then we eat." Soon two hours had passed, and Draco had still not finished his article. But as his boss raged and ranted, Draco reflected that it was worth it because the newspaper would not get a half-assed article, and he would get to keep the memory of Harry spinning in his office chair, giggling like a child on a merry-go-round.

It was almost nine; Draco and Harry had gone to a small, muggle restaurant near Harry's apartment. Now they were walking back to the apartment discussing random things that came to mind. They stopped before the brick building, it had a maroon door and the sides of the building had quite a bit of graffiti. Harry turned to Draco, "Would you like to come inside. You can use my floo if you would like. I know you don't like to Apparate, so…" Draco looked at Harry, running through the risk and reward of taking his first steps into Harry's flat. Finally, Draco nodded in agreement. He really didn't like apperating anyway. He scanned the place. It was very cozy, with light colors that weren't bold, and worn-out looking furniture that only added to the aesthetic. It was not very modern; some of the walls were brick and others probably of plaster. The kitchen was across from the living room and once again had a lived in feel to it. "Would you like a cup of tea, I have some wonderful earl gray." Harry was already in the kitchen preparing some, so Draco didn't feel a need in responding. He looked through some pictures on the fireplace mantel. There was a few of him with Granger and Weasley, then a couple of him with the entire Weasley family, one with a bunch of Gryffindors, and right in the middle was a picture of a baby held by a red-haired women and a man the splitting image of Harry (except for the eye). He could only assume it was Harry's parents. "Here you go Draco." Draco turned and took his tea from Harry. "You can sit down if you want." Draco sat in the closest chair and felt himself being sucked into the soft cushions. They chatted over the tea, and Draco found himself enjoying the tea and location. They had spent another hour talking and drinking Harry's fantastic earl gray tea, before Draco finally had to depart. He turned to the floo and yelled, "Malfoy Manor," and as he walked through the grand hallways and marbles walls, he wondered why he felt more at home in Harry's flat then he did in his childhood home.

After his first time at Harry's flat, Draco spent more and more time at his flat. He often came for dinner or a quick cup of tea, but he had yet to stay the night. Draco had some free time today, so he stopped by for some tea. He was in the middle of telling his chance encounter with the insubordinate asshole that ran the gossip column, when the floo flared up suddenly, and out stepped Granger and Weasley. They looked at Harry, smiling and turned their head to see Draco sitting across from him. They smiled dropped from their faces so quickly it was almost amusing. Draco looked at Harry, he looked at Harry meaningfully, _did you tell them?_ Harry replied _no, why would I?_ Draco sighed at looked at the two guests still standing stunned in front of the fireplace. Draco looked at Harry again, _Do Something!_ Harry stood up and guided them to chairs. Then he poured them two cups of tea, and Draco settled back into his chair. This would be a long conversation. After thirty minutes of cautious talk and a little bit of shouting, it was established that Draco Malfoy was in fact dating Harry Potter. Eventually, Draco realized the time, and got up to leave. Hermione and Ron, as Draco would now be calling them, got up with him also getting really to leave. Draco had thrown the floo powder into the fireplace and turned around to say his final goodbyes, before Harry grabbed his arm and kissed him. It was really a peck, and they had done much more than that, but for some reason this one felt special. Maybe it was because as Draco stepped into the floo he got one last glimpse of a smug Harry standing next to Ron and Hermione.

Draco and Harry had been dating for a few months now, and both very quickly getting used to each other's presence. The rest of the wizarding world had yet to be privy to their relationship, but Harry felt the time was coming, so after weeks of discussion, they decided to take the step and make their relationship public. Draco asked a reporter he knew would be polite, and not Rita Skeeter, to write the article, and they took some pictures for the article as well. They had approved the article yesterday, and were waiting for the Prophet owl to deliver today's copy and constituently their printed article. _Clink, Clink._ They both looked up to see an owl at the window, holding the newspaper. Harry quickly payed the owl and took the paper to Draco. They were not on the front page, there were more important things happening in the wizarding world then their relationship, but there was a very long article on the second page. Harry and Draco had pre-read the article beforehand, so they knew everything that would be inside it, but they read through it quickly again. The article was good; it gave enough detail that reader would be satisfied, but not too much as to ruin their privacy. They were both very pleased with the article and sharing said sentiments with each other when an owl landed on the windowsill. Harry stood up, confused and took the letter from the owl. The letter was from a young woman named Angeline.

 _Hello Mr. Potter,_

 _I have sent this letter to talk about a new article in the Daily Prophet. It says that you and Draco Malfoy are in an imitate relationship, which of course I don't believe in anyway. You know how reporters are, constantly exaggerating. However, if for some odd reason, the article isn't exaggerating as much as it should be, I felt that I should share some important information with you regarding Mr. Malfoy._

 _He probably doesn't remember this, but my mother fought in the war. She was a auror, and a very good one at that. She was all I had; she was a wonderful person, kind and beautiful. At the time, I was at a magic school in the Americas. She sent me there to keep me away from the war. One day I got a message to go to my headmaster's office, where a British auror stood and told me my mom had died. It was in this office, I stood sobbing begging that he was lying, joking, anything except the truth._

 _I stayed at the school until I graduated, and then I came back here. I asked close friends of my mother, how exactly she had died because I was never really told, just that she died in combat. Finally, someone told me the truth, the horrible, gruesome, disgusting truth. My mother had not died in combat, she was found on the street in Knockturn Alley with almost all of her bones broken and a face so swollen, so bruised it was almost indistinguishable. She was found 3 weeks after she had disappeared, captured by death eaters and taken to Malfoy Manor._

 _Later, at Lucius Malfoy's trial, he confessed to my mom's murder and rape and torture, and he confessed with a smile on his face. Thus I warn you Mr. Potter, don't associate with the Malfoys or you will end up lying in Knockturn Alley as bruised and broken as my mother._

 _Angeline_

Harry ripped up the letter, and threw it into the fireplace, but the damage had been done. Draco sat, his hands shaking and his eyes lifeless. He could hear the demons, the begging voices filled with pain. They hadn't visited in a while, but that only meant they were overdue. They flashed before his eyes, before stopping on a beautiful woman with brown hair and blue eyes that should have been filled with joy and life, but instead were shinning with agony and despair. Draco's whole body was shaking, his breathing erratic. Harry was trying everything, he tried shaking Draco, holding him, but Draco was trapped by his demons and nothing could free him. Finally, Harry was begging with tears streaming down his face, "please, Draco, don't do this, I need you, I need you." He was kissing Draco, over and over, "get out of it, I need you, you were doing so well, I love you, I love you, I love you, please, I love you, Draco." They were sitting on the floor now, Harry was holding Draco crying, and Draco was sitting in his lap, unaware of anything but his demons, his sins, his repentance. "I love you Draco, I do, come back to me." What was that sound, it was nice, lovely; Draco grasped on to that voice, that beautiful voice and pulled himself from the void. Draco gasped, he would see again, feel again… hear again, and what he heard would chase the demon away forever.

"I love you Draco, I love you."

"I love you too."

 **Thank you for reading. It always makes my day when people tell me what they think so please review, whether it is good or bad. I hope you liked it.**

 **SlytherinQuillandInk**


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